Former Nepal crown prince questioned for 'firing gun during argument'

Nepal's former crown prince Paras Shah has been questioned for allegedly firing his gun during a drunken late-night argument at an upmarket resort.

Deposed Crown Prince Paras Shah was detained on December 14 for questioningPhoto: EPA

5:12PM GMT 14 Dec 2010

Mr Paras, who was unpopular due to his lavish lifestyle in a country where a quarter of the 28 million population live on less than $1 (63p) a day, was questioned after allegedly firing the weapon during a row with a relative of the deputy prime minister at a forest resort, local media said.

No one was wounded in the shooting, but the country's caretaker government is under pressure to arrest Paras due to widespread media coverage of the incident.

Police questioned Paras in the tourist town of Pokhara, 80 miles west of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, after the incident in Chitwan, where the former prince was on holiday, according to reports"We have started investigations and action against him," police spokesman Bigyan Raj Sharma said.

Mr Paras' father, former King Gyanendra, took over absolute power in 2005 after his brother, King Birendra, and eight other royals were killed in a palace massacre. But he was forced to step down after weeks of widespread protests a year later.

A specially elected assembly abolished the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy in 2008, turning the Himalayan nation into a secular republic and sending the king and crown prince to live as commoners in their private home in Kathmandu.